Watch: Bill Murray tries to bribe MiLB umpires
Bill Murray made an appearance Thursday night in Charleston before the RiverDogs' season opener. It was legendary.Murray, a co-owner of the Class A Yankees affiliate, was on hand to catch the first pitch, but he wanted to make sure the umpiring crew would be as friendly as possible to the
Bill Murray made an appearance Thursday night in Charleston before the RiverDogs' season opener. It was legendary.
Murray, a co-owner of the Class A Yankees affiliate, was on hand to catch the first pitch, but he wanted to make sure the umpiring crew would be as friendly as possible to the hometown 'Dogs.
The iconic actor and lifelong Cubs fan made two young South Atlantic League umpires -- homeplate umpire Mark Bass and field ump Darrell Roberts -- squirm backward as he approached them with handfuls of cash, eventually shoving bills down their jackets behind home plate. (Charleston went on to lose the game anyway, 6-3.)
Watch the moment below:
Murray, 66, is part of an ownership group that runs the RiverDogs and the Hudson Valley Renegades, a Rays affiliate in New York. He owns homes in both Charleston and the Hudson Valley region of New York, just south of where the 'Gades play.
Thursday's antics -- he and Charleston mayor John Tecklenburg showed off their bromance, with Murray hugging and then carrying the local politician to home plate -- are nothing new. Murray, who was inducted into the South Atlantic League Hall of Fame in 2012, is actually listed in the RiverDogs' front office directory as the team's "Director of Fun." Last season he partied in the Charleston clubhouse after the team clinched a playoff spot, spraying players with champagne.
Danny Wild is an editor for MiLB.com. Follow his MLBlog column, Minoring in Twitter.